Leaf Spot Control: How To Get Rid of Leaf Spot

Leaf Spot is a fungal disease characterized by grass blades having small oval spots with straw-colored centers and maroon borders. These infected areas start to turn yellow and die before long and gives the appearance that your lawn is not being watered enough.

Leaf spot typically occurs in the spring or the fall season. The disease cycle can start out as blotches or spots, on grass blades or leaves and degrade into rot or death of the plant at the roots known as melting out, which is an alternate disease caused by the same group of fungi that leaf spot derives from.

Nearly all tree types and shrubs are capable of potentially coming under attack by one or more leaf spot causing fungi. If your yard has been infected by leaf spot, it would be wise to act quickly to eradicate it before it takes over and kills your lawn.

If your yard plants are infected by Leaf Spot, the following DIY guide provides the expert know-how and product recommendations you need to treat this pesky lawn disease the right way.

Identification

Before you can carry out a treatment program, you need to first identify and make sure what you see is actually Leaf Spot and not some other issue. It helps by knowing what Leaf Spot looks like. Here are the defining characteristics so you can identify leaf spot properly:

• Leaf spot is a fungal disease but can also be caused by bacteria. The symptoms of Leaf Spot vary depending upon what caused the fungus to emerge on the plant.
• Although Leaf Spots can be caused by air pollutants, insects, and bacteria among other factors, most of the time it is due to an infection by pathogenic fungi. Once the pathogen comes into contact with the leaf, the fungi will begin to grow resulting in the destruction of leaf tissue.
• Leaf Spot can range in size from that of a pinhead to spots that overtake the entire leaf. Dead areas on the leaves are usually brown, black, tan or reddish in color.
• On some occasions, the dead or rotting areas will have a red or purple border.
• In some cases, part of the plant or even the entire plant can potentially defoliate if the conditions are ideal for the fungus to continue growing without interruption.

Refer to the image above and our description to help you in identifying leaf spot. If you are still not totally sure, you can contact us and we'll help you in correctly identifying your issue.

Inspection

Once you have confirmed that you are dealing with an outbreak of Leaf Spot, proceed with an inspection. During this phase, you will locate where Leaf Spot symptoms are present and on what plants as well as gauge how severe of an issue it is. This will help you to determine where to focus your fungicide applications.

Where to Inspect

Leaf Spot can appear on house plants, ornamentals in your outdoor garden, or even on your yard turf. Observe your lawn turf and plants closely for small brown spots on affected leaves that will increase in size as the disease progresses.

What To Look For

You should be looking for spots that gradually grow in size and may have yellow or purple borders, converging into larger discolored patches until the whole leaf dies out.

Aside from these symptoms, you may also observe wet, decaying grass near the roots. This is not Leaf Spot but is "melting out", a separate but related disease that often goes hand in hand with a Leaf Spot outbreak.

Treatment

Before handling any chemicals, we suggest wearing the proper safety equipment for the job to prevent chemicals from coming in contact with your eyes or skin. Gloves, safety goggles and long sleeved clothing should suffice.

Our top recommendation to control leaf spot is Patch Pro. This product contains the active ingredient propiconazole which works effectively to eliminate Leaf Spot and keeps it from spreading. It's also cost-effective and one of our more affordable fungicides.

Step 1 - Measure & Mix Patch Pro

To determine how much Patch Pro you need, you will need to calculate the square footage of the target area. To do this, you will need to measure and multiply the length of your lawn times the width (length x width = square footage). Patch Pro is labeled to treat Leaf Spot at a rate of 1 to 2 fl. oz. per gallon of water per 1,000 sq. ft. For example, 2,500 square feet of yard to treat you would need to mix 2.5 to 5 fl. oz. of Patch Pro in 2.5 gallons of water.

In a pump sprayer, add half the required amount of water and then add the appropriate amount of Patch Pro based on your calculations. Fill the sprayer with the remaining half of the required amount of water and then close the lid and agitate the sprayer until the solution is well mixed. You are now ready to spray.

Step 2 - Apply Patch Pro To Affected Areas

Apply Patch Pro to infected Leaf Spot areas spraying to wet (not to the point of runoff). The best time to begin spraying Leaf Spot is in the springtime. In order to be effective, Patch Pro must be applied as a protectant before the fungus spore is spread to the leaf.

Most Leaf Spot fungi infect trees early in the spring just as the leaves are starting to emerge. You will also want to make sure to spray other vegetation around the infected area to prevent spores from spreading.

Check back in a few days to see if the application is working. You may have to re-apply fungicides in intervals of 14 days to provide continuous control of leaf spot. Retreat if you begin to see symptoms again.

Prevention

Once the leaf spot has been cleared from your lawn, you must work to keep the disease from returning by establishing a regular lawn maintenance routine. Keeping plants healthy by providing proper light, water and fertilizer will strengthen the plants ability to ward off lawn disease.

• Mow your grass at the proper height of 3 to 4 inches to encourage deeper root growth and to strengthen your lawn to be more resistant to Leaf Spot.
• Rake and dethatch your lawn so more sunlight, water and future chemical treatments can more easily reach the soil.
• Water your lawn properly with 1 to 1.5 inches of water every week. It is better to water your grass deeply once a week than a little every day.
• Keep up with a proper fertilization schedule to keep nitrogen levels stable.

Key Takeaways

What is Leaf Spot?

• Leaf spot is a turf and ornamental disease caused by fungus and appears in the form of brown or discolored spots on a leaf that may die and rot over time.

How To Get Rid of Leaf Spot

• Our go-to fungicide to put get rid of leaf spot is Patch Pro. It is highly effective and economical. Apply at the initial stage of the disease for best results.

Preventing Leaf Spot Reemergence

• Once your lawn has been treated, keep leaf spot away with a consistent lawn care and maintenance program by mowing at a higher height of 3 to 4 inches, watering your grass 1 to 1.5 inches once per week, and keeping up with regular fertilization.